chirp, chirp.

I was at my parent's house last night. I woke up this morning to the birds chirping - not unusual to hear, especially in the spring. But I thought while lying in bed - wow those sound like their right outside the window. A few hours later, after coffee and a shower, I opened the blinds. I noticed a bird hopped up on the windowsill and the way it quickly scurried along caught the corner of my eye. I went over to inspect, and there was a bird's nest built in the windowsill. The Momma Bird flew back and forth with food in her beak, scurried over and dropped it into the nest where my Mom and I counted 5 baby bird beaks. Back and forth she went, occasionally freezing if she sensed us. The nest was built on a tilt so we didn't have an aerial view of the babies but a side view. We stopped watching, I put my make-up on when I noticed, one of the babies was out on the windowsill! I didn't know how he'd gotten out or what he was doing. He paused, teetered a bit, paused and then he was gone! He fluttered into the bushes. I called mom back in to watch, it was truly incredible! The mom came back a few times and another bird, maybe the dad - I'm not sure. A little bit later and two little birds were left, but they were stuck. The windowsill was pushed out so the nest had been built but the birds had to carefully fit into the crack to get in and out and the babies just couldn't quite figure it out. They knew their siblings had gone but they kept going towards the side where there was no crack for them to slip out of....oh the stress! We felt so helpless, watching them struggle, wanting the mom to come back and help them, but what could she even do? It was crazy! (I was able to sanp a few photos).

My dad came home, we showed him what was going on and asked him to help. He suited up and went through the bushes to somehow adjust the screen and let the birds be free! Well as he appeared to help them, one of the birds got through the opening and hopped up on the windowsill! She flew away into the bush! But there was still one bird left...he had to have been tired. At one point it looked like they were both sitting down to rest lodged there between the window and the screen. Dad moved the screen just a little bit - we didn't want to squish the little guy and he was able to get underneath. Once he figured out where to go he moved along. He got to the windowsill and paused like he was contemplating what he had to do and what it would take, we cheered him on "you can do it!" and in the blink of an eye he was gone! All that was left was an empty nest. I felt sad for a moment, like it happened too fast - much like life sometimes. Yet it was one of the neatest experiences I can remember to see nature and creation come together so perfectly.

There was a bird's nest in Clemmons we kept an eye on for a while, but something got the eggs so we didn't get to see all of the beauty unfold. That experience made this experience even more exciting. I only wish we had noticed the baby birds sooner! But, how awesome to get to see them fly, for the very first time! My mom of course remarked on the empty nest and the momma bird, much like many of our parents are experiencing. It also seems to fit with the Hallmark commercial Mom showed me last weekend - now it's a tear jerker so get ready. I couldn't help but think of so many things watching the events unfold - God's amazing creation, animals and humans ways of caring for their nests and babies, the fear and unknown that lies out in the great wide open, the thrill of flying and the sadness at leaving or losing loved ones. I know to many it would just be a bird's nest but it was truly a wonder. I'm so thankful for that little glimpse of many things I got to see this morning.